Thursday 25 July 1940

Thursday 25 July 1940

Convoys and shipping in the Channel raided

Night: Minelaying in the Firth of Forth and Thames Estuary. Reconnaissance over Bristol and Channel area.

Weather: Fine day with haze in the Straits of Dover. Winds north-westerly and light.

Main Activity:

At 1207 hours, a large formation of Bf 109s from III/JG 52 approached Dover at sea level and were met by Spitfires from No. 65 Squadron. One German fighter was lost when it hit and crashed into the sea.

At 1245 hours, twenty Hurricanes from Nos. 32 and 615 Squadrons engaged more than forty Bf 109s in a dogfight near Dover. One Hurricane was badly damaged. As the fighters withdrew, sixty Ju 87 Stuka dive-bombers from II/StG 1 and IV/LG 1 attacked the convoy codenamed PEEWIT passing through the Dover Straits. Nine Spitfires from No. 54 Squadron were scrambled to help but they were bounced by Bf 109s of III/JG 26 and lost two aircraft.

At 1430 hours, thirty Ju 88s from III/KG 4, escorted by over 50 Bf 109s, were despatched to attack PEEWIT. They were engaged by Spitfires from Nos. 64 and 610 Squadrons along with Hurricanes from No. 111 Squadron. The attack was broken up but two Spitfires were lost and another two damaged. One Bf 109 was confirmed destroyed.

At about 1715 hours, PEEWIT was attacked again by Ju 87 Stukas from II/LG 1 and III/StG 1 off Folkestone. Five ships were sunk and another four damaged. Hurricanes from No. 56 Squadron together with Spitfires from Nos. 54, 64, and 610 Squadrons were scrambled to intercept, shooting down two Ju 87s and two Bf 109s. Two Spitfires were also lost.

Eleven out of twenty-one ships in convoy PEEWIT were sunk and another seven damaged along with two British destroyers, HMS Boreas and HMS Brilliant. The two destroyers were despatched from Dover to engage German E-boats.

HMS Boreas at anchor. On 25 July 1940, the ship engaged German E-boats off Dover Harbour together with HMS Brilliant and was badly damaged by German Junkers Ju 87 Stuka dive bombers after she was ordered to withdraw. Her bridge was hit twice by bombs that killed one officer and twenty crewmen. Boreas was under repair at Millwall Dock until 23 January 1941.